Peter Maivia
Encyclopedia
Fanene Leifi Pita Maivia (April 6, 1937–June 13, 1982) was a American Samoa
n professional wrestler
better known as "High Chief" Peter Maivia. He was head of the famous Samoan wrestling family
. He was the grandfather of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and was also the promoter for the National Wrestling Alliance
's promotions in Hawaii
.
Maivia disapproved of his daughter's relationship with Rocky Johnson
because he was a professional wrestler. The duo married despite Maivia's objections. His son, Peter Jr, also wrestled in Hawaii and the west coast after the passing of Peter Sr. sometimes under the name "Prince Peter Maivia".
In 2008, Maivia was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame
by his grandson Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The award was accepted on his behalf by his daughter Ata Maivia-Johnson.
Maivia was considered a "blood brother
" by Amituanai Anoa'i, the father of the Wild Samoans (Afa
and Sika
), thus the Anoa'i family
regard the Maivia line from him on forward as an extension of their own clan.
Maivia was also in the fifth James Bond
film, You Only Live Twice
, where he plays a driver that drives a disguised Bond to Osato headquarters. In 1981, Maivia was diagnosed with cancer
. He died on June 13, 1982. On October 19, 2008, Maivia's wife, Lia Maivia, died.
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
n professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
better known as "High Chief" Peter Maivia. He was head of the famous Samoan wrestling family
Anoa'i family
The Anoa'i family, originating from American Samoa, is a family of professional wrestlers. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety of promotions.-Family members:...
. He was the grandfather of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and was also the promoter for the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
's promotions in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Personal life
Maivia, also known as the Flying Hawaiian, was of the Alii lineage of Malietoa. Maivia's tribal tattoos, which covered his abdomen and legs, were a symbol of his High Chief status. According to Superstar Billy Graham, they were completed in three days. Maivia's grandson Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson revealed that they were done with traditional Samoan instrumentation: a small hammer, a needle, and ink.Maivia disapproved of his daughter's relationship with Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
because he was a professional wrestler. The duo married despite Maivia's objections. His son, Peter Jr, also wrestled in Hawaii and the west coast after the passing of Peter Sr. sometimes under the name "Prince Peter Maivia".
In 2008, Maivia was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
by his grandson Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The award was accepted on his behalf by his daughter Ata Maivia-Johnson.
Maivia was considered a "blood brother
Blood brother
Blood brother can refer to one of two things: two males related by birth, or two or more men not related by birth who have sworn loyalty to each other. This is usually done in a ceremony, known as a blood oath, where the blood of each man is mingled together...
" by Amituanai Anoa'i, the father of the Wild Samoans (Afa
Afa Anoa'i
Arthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
and Sika
Sika Anoa'i
Leati "Sika" Anoa'i is a former professional wrestler and a member of the Anoa'i family.-Career:Sika teamed with his brother Afa to form the tag team the Wild Samoans. They teamed in various promotions including WWF and Mid-South. In 1979, they signed with the World Wrestling Federation...
), thus the Anoa'i family
Anoa'i family
The Anoa'i family, originating from American Samoa, is a family of professional wrestlers. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety of promotions.-Family members:...
regard the Maivia line from him on forward as an extension of their own clan.
Maivia was also in the fifth James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film, You Only Live Twice
You Only Live Twice (film)
You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name...
, where he plays a driver that drives a disguised Bond to Osato headquarters. In 1981, Maivia was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. He died on June 13, 1982. On October 19, 2008, Maivia's wife, Lia Maivia, died.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Stump Puller (Inverted Boston crab)
- Signature moves
- Samoan drop
- ManagerManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
s- Freddie Blassie
- Wrestlers trained by Maivia
- Afa Anoa'iAfa Anoa'iArthur "Afa" Anoa'i, Sr. is a Samoan American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring in the 1990s, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild Samoan Training Facility.-Early life:Anoa'i was born in Samoa, but...
- Rocky JohnsonRocky JohnsonRocky Johnson is a retired Canadian professional wrestler. Quite popular in his own right in the 1970s and 1980s, he is also known for being the father of actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson...
- Superstar Billy Graham
- Peter Maivia, Jr.
- Afa Anoa'i
Championships and accomplishments
- NWA All-Star Pro WrestlingNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA New Zealand Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA New Zealand Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA New Zealand Heavyweight Championship is the primary singles title in the NWA-affiliated wrestling promotion NWA New Zealand. It is the first heavyweight championship in New Zealand and one of the oldest in the world. It was first won by Gisborne Katene who defeated Frank Findlay in 1919...
(1 time)
- NWA Big Time WrestlingWorld Class Championship WrestlingWorld Class Championship Wrestling ' was a regional professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by 1966 it was run by Southwest Sports, Inc., whose president, Jack Adkisson, was better known as wrestler Fritz Von Erich...
- NWA Texas Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Texas Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title that has existed since the 1930s. Though its exact date of creation isn't known, it is among the oldest championships used in professional wrestling today...
(1 time)
- NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
- NWA Hollywood WrestlingNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Americas Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Americas Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship was the top singles championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Los Angeles territory, known officially as NWA Hollywood Wrestling, from 1968 until the promotion closed in 1982. The title was first established in 1967 as a secondary championship in...
(1 time)
- NWA Americas Heavyweight Championship
- NWA Mid-Pacific PromotionsNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Hawaii Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and is defended in the US state of Hawaii. The title, which is still currently defended, began in1935...
(1 time) - NWA Hawaii Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Hawaii Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship was the primary tag team title of NWA Mid-Pacific Promotions and was defended between 1952 until 1978 when it was abandoned. The title was later revived by the current incarnation of NWA Hawaii in 2000...
(4 times) - with Jim Hady (1), Billy White Wolf (1), and Sam Steamboat (2)
- NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship
- NWA New ZealandNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA New Zealand British Empire Commonwealth Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship (New Zealand version)The New Zealand version of the NWA British Empire/Commonwealth Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship defended in the National Wrestling Alliance-affiliated Dominion Wrestling Union from 1929 to 1953 and in All Star Pro Wrestling from 1968 to 1990...
(2 times)
- NWA New Zealand British Empire Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship
- NWA San FranciscoNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version)NWA San Francisco United States ChampionshipThe NWA San Francisco United States Championship was a version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship that was defended in San Francisco, California. The title, which originated as the American Wrestling Alliance United States Championship and was renamed in 1968, existed from 1960 until...
(2 times) - NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time) - with Ray StevensRay Stevens (wrestler)Carl Ray Stevens , better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s...
- NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (San Francisco version)
- World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWE Hall of FameWWE Hall of FameThe WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
(Class of 2008)
- WWE Hall of Fame